Shawn Schwaller

Teaching

Dr. Schwaller teaches History 130: U.S. History and History 235/Chicanx and Latinx Studies 235: Mexican American History for the department of history. He has also taught History 341: The American Environment.

Schwaller began work as an assistant professor of 20th century United States history in the fall of 2022 for the department of history. Before this, he worked as a lecturer in the Departments of American Studies, Liberal Studies, Ethnic Studies, and History at California State University, Fullerton, and the Department of History at Chico State.

Schwaller has a Ph.D. in History and an M.A. in American Studies. His teaching specialties include United States history, recent American history, California history, Mexican American history, and public history. During the 2020-2021 academic year he served on the Ad Hoc Ethnic Studies Committee at Chico State, a group that worked to determine which courses will count for the AB 1460 Ethnic studies requirement.

Research

Dr. Schwaller’s research interests include California history, race and ethnicity in the United States, social movements, public history, and American popular culture.

Freelance Writer/Reporting

Schwaller is an award-winning freelance writer recognized by the California News Publisher’s Association. He writes for A News Café, an independent news, and journalism agency based in Redding, California, about law enforcement corruption, far-right extremism in rural and far northern California, and other topics. His A News Café webpage is available here.

Research

Dr. Schwaller’s research interests include California history, race and ethnicity in the United States, social movements, public history, and American popular culture.

Book Chapters

Schwaller, S. (Forthcoming). Escaping Cold War Conformity: Polynesian Drink and Fashion in the Post World War II American West. In David Inglis and Hang Kei Ho (Ed.), Drinks in Vogue: exploring the Changing Worlds of Fashions and Beverages. Milton Park, England: Routledge.

Schwaller, S. (Forthcoming). Decolonize the Streets! Junípero Serra Monuments and Statues in a Changing California. In Juilee Decker (Ed.), Fallen Monuments, Contested Memorials, and Dislodged Pasts: Embodied Narratives and Remembrance of Things Cast. Milton Park, England: Routledge.

Schwaller, S. (2020). The Music of Sunshine and Noir California: From California Dreamin’ to Straight Outta Compton. In David Whitt (Ed.), Popular Music in the Classroom: Essays for Instructors. (pp. 38-52). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland Publishing.

Schwaller, S. (2017). A Careful Embrace: Race, Gender, and the Consumption of Hawai’i and the South Pacific in Midcentury Los Angeles Tiki Restaurants and Cocktail Lounges. In Catherine Choy and Judy Tzu-Chun Wu (Eds.), Gendering the Trans-Pacific World: Diaspora, Empire, and Race. (pp.366-388). Leiden, Netherlands: Brill Publishing. 

Encyclopedia Entries 

Schwaller, S. (2019) “Junípero Serra and the Franciscan Missions,” “Chinese Coolies in the California Gold Rush,” “Chicano Movement,” “Dust Bowl,” and “Mexican Migrant Workers.” In Russell Lawson (Ed.), Race and Ethnicity in the United States: From PreContact to the Present – Volume 1, 2, & 3. (pp. 171-173, 42-44, 71-73, 143-146, & 55-59). Santa Barbara, California: ABC CLIO Publishing.